With limited free time and small social circles, a growing number of young female white-collar employees are registering with marriage agencies to seek their Mr. Right, eastday.com reported today.

Previously, most registrants were elderly persons who feared that they could not find partners, but now, most registrants are young highly educated and with high incomes, said Chen, a spokesman with the Shangfu Marriage Agency.

"Many young girls born after 1983 have come to us, some with a monthly income of more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,200)," Chen stressed.

"I am quite busy at work and have narrow channels for meeting other people, so I have registered at a marriage agency to allow me a wider choice," said Lin, a 22-year-old female white-collar employee with a foreign company, adding that it is easier for her to find a partner in such places.

Some parents even register their daughters who are still university students. "It is hard for university students to find partners through marriage agencies, as most male counterparts consider their campus lives unstable, so show no interest to them," Chen said.

However, most male registrants are over 40 years old. Those around 30 years old, with their own careers and high incomes, are not in a hurry to marry.

"They are usually too busy to be in love or they think it is easy for them to find young partners," Chen explained.

Most male registrants pay more attention to appearance rather than incomes or other circumstances of their female counterparts, she added.

(eastday.com June 8, 2005)